Gold Of A Lifetime
by Gillan1220
Summary: Joe and Donnie Griffin, now in their 90s, must team up with a group of young Filipino treasure hunters in retrieving the remnants of the Yamashita Treasure. They must reach it first before a former WWII Japanese commander turned-leader of a criminal syndicate obtains the treasure for his organization. And the said commander has an unfinished beef with the two 70 years on.
1. Preface

PREFACE

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This story is based on the unfinished _Medal of Honor: Rising Sun_ and the 2001 Filipino film called _Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure_.

I know as children we were all disappointed that EA did not make the sequel to Rising Sun because of lukewarm reception. We were all sad that we could not get our revenge on the evil Japanese commander Shima and rescue our brother Donnie Griffin.

With the invention of fanfiction, fans have acknowledged that _Medal of Honor: Rising Sun 2_ written by author Cimil20 is the spiritual successor to that game.

 _Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure_ is a 2001 Filipino adventure film that revolves around the hunt for the legendary Yamashita treasure.

I won't spoil the details that much so I highly recommend you read his story first before reading mine. By the way, my story would take place in May 2010, hence our favorite heroes in the game are obviously in their later lives. I also recommend that you watch the film beforehand, but unfortunately, there is no English subtitles for it.

With special permission from Cimil20, I have been allowed to use some elements from his story.

The first chapter is up.

\- Gillan1220

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 _Medal of Honor_ and _Medal of Honor: Rising Sun_ belongs to Electronic Arts (EA) Entertainment.

 _Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure_ belongs to Roadrunner Network, Inc., MAQ Productions, and Regal Entertainment.

 _Medal of Honor: Rising Sun 2_ (fanfiction) belongs to Cimil20


	2. Chapter 1: Calumpit Chaos

**Chapter I: Calumpit Chaos**

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 **January 1, 1942**

 **Calumpit, Bulacan**

 **Commonwealth of the Philippines**

Joseph Griffin moved stealthily in the street leading to the hotel. He could now see the church up ahead, its bell tower distinct among the Spanish houses lining the plaza. There were a few Japanese soldiers in the area that Joe took care off. Both stealth and noise were preferred options of engagement as minutes he previously raided a nearby baseball field and sabotage the Japanese radio outpost followed gunning down several Japanese soldiers with a Type 11 light machine gun in one of the platforms above. He obtained a photograph of Masataka Shima, commander of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines. As he moved forward, there was to his right was what remained of a concrete house that was destroyed by bombs dropped from Japanese bombers. In the remnants of the structure, there were a bunch of supply crates guarded by three Japanese soldiers. Joe made it an objective to loot whatever crates he found across for capture war material, weapons, grenades, intel, or war treasure. Gunning down the Japanese soldiers, he then planted a Type 97 grenade in the crates. The subsequent explosion blew the crates open. What he saw next surprised him. It was a small Golden Buddha. It remained unharmed from the explosion of his grenade. Going near, he observed and touched the Buddha, sliding his fingers across the belly and the jewel stones adorning it. He then grabbed it and tucked it away on his backpack. The sight of the Buddha stunned him. While Buddhism has a significant following in the Philippines, he never had seen anything like the one he retrieved.

"We're the Japanese looting temples and monuments all across the Far East?" Joe thought.

He would then report his findings to Sargent Jack "Gunny" Lawton, who was currently in an M3 Stuart light tank piloted by his brother Donald "Donnie" Griffin.

Joe then proceeded to the hotel, killing the Japanese soldiers stationed inside with his M1928 Thompson. He then followed a followed a set of stairs that lead to the roof that provided a view of the plaza and the church below. He saw several Japanese troops firing their Arisaka bolt-action rifles at Gunny and Donnie who subsequently returned fire with the M3 Stuart's .30 caliber machine and 37 mm cannon. Wasting no time, Joe immediately manned the Type 11 light machine gun in front of him and sprayed the Japanese soldiers beneath. A Type 95 Ha-Go then rolled in from behind the church. With the combined arms fire of the Stuart Light tank and Joe's manned Type 11, the Ha-Go exploded and erupted in flames. Gunny then signaled Joe to rendezvous below.

Reaching down the old Spanish plaza facing the church, a symbol of Spain's 333 year dominance of the islands, Joe reunited with Gunny and Donnie. Gunny disembarked from the tank with an M1912 shotgun in hand.

"Joe, get on top of the church tower to signal the demolition team." Gunny ordered Joe.

Obediently, Joe climbed the circular stairs that lead to the top of the bells. He grabbed the robe and pulled hard on the bell.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The bell rang throughout the town, heard by both American and Japanese soldiers a like. Joe then hurriedly ran down the stairs, grabbed a couple of Thompson and M1 Garand clips from an abandoned ammunition crate near the church's cemetery, and hopped on board the military track.

"Hang on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride." Gunny said as he gunned the engines as the truck started to move.

"Hold on!" Gunny shouted.

Japanese troops then emerged from the town chasing after the group. A machine gun pillbox opened fire on the truck. Joe shot the gunner but it was replaced with another soldier.

BOOM!

The sound of cannon exploded as the gunner was sent flying, the machine gun pillbox destroyed from the Stuart's 37 mm cannon.

"I got your back brother!' Donnie came in.

The Japanese soldiers shifted their attention towards the Stuart. Joe and Donnie gunned them down as they tried climbing the tank but there were just too many. Donnie killed a few more before his Thompson's magazine ran dry, forcing him to switch to his M1911. He gunned down a few before retreating back to the hatch, closing and locking it just as the Japanese soldiers reached the top.

"Donnie, No!" Joe screamed. There was nothing his he could do for his brother.

"Damn it Marine, make sure you and that tank reach the bridge before we light it up!" Gunny yelled.

The view of the overrun tank was then obscured by a pursuing Type 95 Ha-Go, giving chase to the truck Joe and Gunny were in. Joe's Thompson did nothing to the armor of the tank as the bullets just simply bounced off. Seeing a mix of Mk. 2 fragmentation grenades and captured Type 97s, he then started throwing them on the path of the Ha-Go, whilst shooting back at Japanese soldiers stationed in the balconies and windows of the buildings lining the street. A couple more grenades and the Ha-Go was disabled with its tracks detached from the cogs. The machine gun continued to fire towards their truck but they were soon out of range. A group of four Japanese soldiers then lined up to the sides of the track, chasing after it. Joe easily shot them all with his Thompson.

After crashing through the metallic gate, Joe and Gunny were back at the foot of the bridge. The remaining American soldiers in the area were pushed back as the Japanese made a rush to the bridge. Demolition specialists grabbed the the charges and started planting it, whilst Joe, Gunny, and the remaining riflemen covered them from the Japanese.

"Charges are set!" Yelled one soldier.

"Alright, fall back! Fall back to the other side!" Gunny shouted.

The remaining soldiers and demolition team then climbed the truck that Joe and Gunny were in just as the charges blew up, rocking the truck. Luckily, they managed to escape the explosion just as the Calumpit Bridge was destroyed. The Japanese advance into Bataan was temporarily delayed, the American knew the Philippines would fall with Pearl Harbor crippled a month ago.

"At ease lad." Gunny told Joe, comforting him regarding the loss of his brother. "I'm sorry about your brother. He…Um he was a brave marine. Can't ask more than that."

"Ah sarge, I found this." Joe said, opening his bag and presenting the Buddha to Gunny who was stunned at the sight of the treasure.

"I think the Japanese are looting whatever they find here in the Far East to fund their war effort." Joe said.

"Alright, keep that Buddha. I'll inform General MacArthur himself. Once this info is relayed back to Washington, we can find out what sinister things the Japs are up to. Right now, we head to Bataan! Let's go Marines!"

The Marines then left in the truck and headed to Bataan, where a large Filipino-American force is currently stationed, defending the peninsula from the Japanese.


	3. Chapter 2: The Defense of Bataan

**Chapter II: The Defense of Bataan**

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 **January 11, 1942**

 **Bataan Peninsula**

 **Commonweatlh of the Philippines**

Joe Griffin and his squad of Marines escaped Calumpit and headed to Bataan, where large concentration of USAFFE and Philippine Commonwealth Army soldiers were dugged in, defending the peninsula from the might of the Imperial Japanese Army. As they held the peninsula, Joe befriend a Filipino soldier whose name was Carmelo "Melo" Rosales. Melo manned an M1917 Browning machine gun, which he used to lay suppressing fire on the charging Japanese. Days ago, Gunny reported his findings to General Douglas MacArthur a.k.a. Dug-out Doug. The general was surprised of the finding of the golden Buddha, an evidence the Japanese were stripping the down wealth of Asia.

"Those damn Japs are up to no good." MacArthur said. "Sargent, while we hold this peninsula, we need to make sure those Japs pay for every inch as they advance. We make hard for them to conquer this land."

"My best men are here, sir." Gunny responded as he presented Joe with his small squad of U.S. Marines and Philippine Commonwealth Army troops.

"Alright, there is this supply depot 15 miles north of here. I want your men to sabotage whatever supplies they have and blow the place to hell. We will show these Jap bastards that we won't give in easily."

With that, Gunny lead his squad of Marines and Filipino soldiers. Away from the frontlines where both American and Japanese bullets exchanged on each other, the squad of soldiers walked in the jungle for what seemed like forever until they saw the supply depot. The depot was heavily guarded by a battalion of Japanese soldiers backed by Type 95 Ha-Go tanks, Kurogane Scout Cars, and machine gun posts.

"Alright, so here's the plant. Joe will move with his squad of Filipino soldiers into the Filipino depot. So we plant the charges on their supplies and fuel drums as well as their tanks. If you can find any intel, be sure to grab it. Be silent so use your knives and melee weapons only. We can't afford to have the Japanese right on our assess."

"Sarge, what if we need to shoot our way out?"

Heavily, Gunny replied: "Engage only when you have no other choice. Alright, let's move out."

Joe and his squad of Filipino soldiers stealthily moved in the camp. Fortunately for Joe, his friend Melo was with him. They quietly took care of the guard using their knives or performing lethal stealth moves. They then hid the bodies beneath the threads of the tanks and the trucks before planting charges into them. Proceeding to the fuel drums, Joe planted charges on the fuel drums. The resulting explosion would definitely incinerate the fuel. Silently, as Joe approached command post, he witnessed an officer guarded by two soldiers. The officer was speaking to someone on the radio. Joe, Melo, and the Filipino soldiers surrounded the post, unseen by the patrolling Japanese soldiers.

"On three, we charge. One, two, three!"

The Japanese were surprised to see Filipinos and the American surround them. They took them down silently. The person on the other end of the radio was confused as to why communication suddenly ceased.

"Hey, what's going on there? Colonel Kurokawa, are you still there? Are you still there?"

In a fit of rage, Joe picked up the speaker and replied in English: "You're colonel is dead. We killed him and soon this supply depot will be in flames."

"Who is this? How'd you get—" The transmission was cut short when Joe slammed the but of his M1 Garand on the radio, destroying it. Afterwards, Joe took a map, a folder containing some files, and a soldier's diary. He would present these intel to Gunny.

They then exited the way to come out back to the undergrowth. They patiently waited for the explosion which came five seconds later. The explosion caught the Japanese soldiers off-guard. Multiple fuel drums and tanks were consumed in the blast. Joe and his Filipino soldiers began shooting down the Japanese soldiers. Gunny and squad of U.S. Marines followed suit. They were aiming to go to this Japanese transport truck which they would then hijack and use it to return to the American lines in Bataan. They gunned the soldiers manning it while Joe threw a grenade on a nearby machine gun post, destroying it and killing the Japanese. Gunny entered the driver's seat with a U.S. Marine beside him; Joe, the Filipinos, and the other Marines sat at the back, shooting the pursuing Japanese soldiers. A Type 95 Scout Car chased them but a full clip from Joe's Thompson submachine gun caused it to burst into flames. Gunny sped the pedal as fast as he could, away from the pursuing Japanese who shot at them with their bolt-action rifles. Once they got further, the squad of soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. It was a minor victory against the Japanese in this losing battle but it somehow put a sting and hurt them in their advance.

Once back in the headquarters, Gunny presented the evidence to General MacArthur, who relayed this information to Washington. Nonetheless, the U.S. government were not to pleased hearing about the Japanese looting across Asia and the fact that the Philippines would soon fall without the supplies they needed to keep going.

MacArthur congratulated Joe and his squad. He told them to get some rest right before they'll be back at the frontlines in the defense of this peninsula. They won the battle for now but the war is still ongoing and had to be won.

Unknown to Joe, the person in the other side of the line was Commander Matasaka Shima, who was enraged of the fact that the Americans and the Filipinos were able to sabotage a supply depot. In addition, Joe was completely unaware that his brother Donnie was also in Bataan, alive and well; serving in a different unit far from him.


End file.
